Asbestos Refurbishment/Demolition Surveys
This type of asbestos survey is required by CAR 2006 (Health and Safety at Work (Jersey) Law 1989 before any works on the fabric of a building can commence. The aim is to identify all asbestos containing materials and may involve destructive and aggressive inspection techniques. The survey involves sampling materials by way of a representative sample specimen and subsequently analysed by a UKAS ISO 17025 accredited laboratories. There is no risk assessment as all asbestos containing materials (ACM’s) detected are recommended to be removed under suitable condition as required by CAR 2006 regulation 5. The asbestos survey report is used as the basis to tender for removal of asbestos containing materials within the premises.
A refurbishment and demolition survey is needed before any refurbishment or demolition work is carried out. This type of survey is used to locate and describe, as far as reasonably practicable, all ACMs in the area where the refurbishment work will take place or in the whole building if demolition is planned.
The survey will be fully intrusive and involve destructive inspection, as necessary, to gain access to all areas, including those that may be difficult to reach. A refurbishment and demolition survey may also be required in other circumstances, e.g. when more intrusive maintenance and repair work will be carried out or for plant removal or dismantling.
There is a specific requirement in CAR 2006 (regulation 7) for all ACMs to be removed as far as reasonably practicable before major refurbishment or final demolition. Removing ACMs is also appropriate in other smaller refurbishment situations which involve structural or layout changes to buildings (e.g. removal of partitions, walls, units etc).
The survey information should be used to help in the tendering process for removal of ACMs from the building before work starts. The survey report should be supplied by the client to designers and contractors who may be bidding for the work, so that the asbestos risks can be addressed. In this type of survey, where the asbestos is identified so that it can be removed (rather than to ‘manage’ it), the survey does not normally assess the condition of the asbestos, other than to indicate areas of damage or where additional asbestos debris may be present.
However, where the asbestos removal may not take place for some time, the ACMs’ condition will need to be assessed and the materials managed.
Refurbishment and demolition surveys are intended to locate all the asbestos in the building (or the relevant part), as far as reasonably practicable. It is a disruptive and fully intrusive survey which may need to penetrate all parts of the building structure. Aggressive inspection techniques will be needed to lift carpets and tiles, break through walls, ceilings, cladding and partitions, and open up floors.
Contact Jersey Asbestos today for free and friendly advice on which type of survey best suits your current and future needs
